Sweet sorrow

LATHROP - Stacie Eiraf realizes that her 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, may feel heartbreak in a little more than a year when the family says goodbye to a puppy she brought home Saturday.

Scott Smith

LATHROP - Stacie Eiraf realizes that her 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, may feel heartbreak in a little more than a year when the family says goodbye to a puppy she brought home Saturday.

But Hannah will be consoled by the good she's doing, raising the puppy that will go on to be trained as a guide dog for a blind person. Hannah will pick up some of life's lessons along the way, Eiraf said.

"That's why my daughter really wants to do it," Eiraf said. "This is really giving of her time and herself."

The Lathrop family was one of 16 from San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Fresno counties on Saturday that received a puppy from Guide Dogs for the Blind.

A puppy truck from the organization's San Rafael headquarters stopped in Manteca to make the delivery. The families will keep the puppies, nurturing and training them in obedience for as long as 15 months.

Then, the young dogs will return to San Rafael for guide dog training. The dogs eventually will be paired with a blind person.

While Hannah and the other participants have their dogs, they will participate in weekly meetings aimed at socializing the dogs in a variety of settings and teaching them manners, said Jim Russell, a Guide Dogs for the Blind field representative based in Modesto.

"It is an immense gift to the recipients of the dogs," he said. "Without the volunteers, it would be literally impossible to do."

Russell, who has personally taken in three future guide dogs, said the organization is always looking for volunteers. Guide Dogs for the Blind formed in 1942, and more than 11,000 teams have graduated since.

Today, about 2,100 dog-and-volunteer teams are working together.

Linda Rubino, who leads a club in the Tracy area and has been part of the organization for 34 years, said she always gets attention, taking out her puppies in their green jackets while out shopping or dining.

Most of the dogs are yellow or black Labradors. The club meets about twice each month to play games, talk health issues and work on obedience training, she said.

"It's fun to watch them grow," Rubino said. "The dogs are getting as much life skills as we can squeeze in."

For the volunteers, it is a good social outlet. Among activities, the handlers and dog teams go to events such as the Ripon Almond Blossom Parade; once a year they take BART; and they ride the ferry to San Francisco.

"We try to do things that blind people do," Rubino said. "So the dogs get used to the routine."

Eiraf said that if their first guide dog is a positive experience, she and her husband, Joseph, may allow their 8-year-old daughter, Jordan, to volunteer.

"We'll see what it takes emotionally and if she'll be ready for it," Eiraf said. "It's a big commitment."